Walks & Visits

We provide you with unusual guided visits of museums specializing in painting, sculpture, architecture, as well as French and international institutions. We also give you the opportunity to find out more about the French handcraft thanks to visits of different workshops relating to tapestries, perfume and luxury products. All of our visits are led by highly experienced and English-speaking guides.

Alternatively, if you want to get to know Paris better, why not join one of our experienced guides on a walking tour of specific locations. We offer themed walks though Paris. They will guide you through the back streets of Paris, typical markets, hidden courtyards, passages and interesting buildings. Our guides will show you traces of earlier times while telling you about the events that happened there and the people who once lived there. You are guaranteed to learn something new about Paris on every walk.

Upcoming walks & visits

Recently reopened, the Hôtel de Lauzun is located on the eastern edge of île Saint-Louis. It is one of the most beautiful and rare Parisian mansions which has preserved its 17th century decorations.

The famous Duke of Lauzun, suitor to the Grande Mademoiselle (niece of the Sun King), the Duke of Richelieu (descendant of the nonetheless famous Cardinal) , Baudelaire and its ‘Haschischins’ club were some of the most noticeable occupants of this mansion.

Restored in the 20th century, the Hotel de Lauzun offers a magnificent grand staircase, a succession of small cabinets adorned with painting and friezes, a beautifully wrought iron balcony overlooking the river Seine.

Do not miss this must-see exceptional mansion !

About the Instructor:Catherine Estivalezes holds a PHD in British and American Studies from the Sorbonne and has been involved for years in a Foundation for promoting Contemporary Art, before getting back to Art History studies. She has several years of experience in guiding, including districts, monuments, museums, and temporary exhibitions.

The story of the resistance in France during the Second World War, whose members came from all backgrounds and struggled bravely in difficult conditions. We start at the Hotel Lutetia, a German Army HQ and refugee center after the war, and see the monument to the infamous Cherche Midi prison where many resistance leaders were held. We will hear of the plight of the Jews at this time, the terrible round ups, (as described in the book 'Sarah's Key'), and the story of Helene Berr, the Sorbonne student who wrote a heart breaking diary of her experience in Paris until her arrest. You will hear many poignant and moving stories as the history is woven with details of daily life during occupation and the tales of heroic ordinary citizens, including the five high school students of the Lycee Buffon. We will see the location of the most important meeting of the resistance in Paris, conducted by Jean Moulin just before his capture, and where the battle of Paris was played out at St Michel square and police HQ in August 1944.

A 15/20 minute break will be included in this walk.

About the Instructor:Brad Newfield. Highly experienced walk guide in Paris.

Built in the 1920’s with the agreement of the French government to pay a tribute to all the Muslims who died during WW1, patronized by a Muslim Association , the Paris Mosque offers a perfect example of Moorish style with its minaret, its beautifully sculpted patio, it’s prayer room (no entry) and garden.

After visiting this amazing cultural and holy site in Paris where we will present the history of the Mosque and its purposes while explaining the specificities of the Muslim religion, we will stop for a delicious mint tea in its typical tea room.

We will then proceed and explore the historical Jardin des Plantes with its botanical garden, its various museums and galleries, and its hothouses.

Join us for this cultural walk with our guide Catherine.

About the Instructor:Catherine Estivalezes holds a PHD in British and American Studies from the Sorbonne and has been involved for years in a Foundation for promoting Contemporary Art, before getting back to Art History studies. She has several years of experience in guiding, including districts, monuments, museums, and temporary exhibitions.

The Richelieu library, historic home of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in the heart of Paris's 2nd arrondissement, has reopened its doors after several years of renovations.

This historical site of the National French Library or Bibliothèque Nationale de France traces its history back to the 14th century. Manuscripts, Illumination books were being collected by the French King Charles V.

The Richelieu site is the cradle of the National Library; it hosts art books ranging from the oldest manuscripts kept in France to the contemporary ones, a collection of medals, coins and antiques, prints and photographs.

Recently renovated, the court, the rotunda, the glass gallery have regained their splendor.The salle Labrouste (study room) will be seen from the outside as it is accessible only to the researchers and students.

Come and discover with our guide Catherine, this French historic site.

About the Instructor:Catherine Estivalezes holds a PHD in British and American Studies from the Sorbonne and has been involved for years in a Foundation for promoting Contemporary Art, before getting back to Art History studies. She has several years of experience in guiding, including districts, monuments, museums, and temporary exhibitions.

During this original walk in the northeast districts of Paris, we will discover with our guide Catherine, Belleville and Ménilmontant districts which provide a diverse approach to the city of Paris; once inhabited by an industrious population, it has become a melting pot of various nationalities.

The Belleville Park offers a beautiful view on the city, it has a local vineyard and hosts popular cafés on charming squares. It has preserved small streets bordered with pavilions (houses) and hidden courtyards.

Ménilmontant was home to Edith Piaf: with its hilly and winding roads, its fountains, its artist’s workshops, its charming passages and its « Cités », hidden pathways lined with small houses built in the early 20th century for workers.

From the heights of Belleville and Menilmontant, we will have one of the best views over Paris.

During our walk, we will discover the small museum dedicated to the famous singer of ‘La vie en rose’.

About the Instructor:Catherine Estivalezes holds a PHD in British and American Studies from the Sorbonne and has been involved for years in a Foundation for promoting Contemporary Art, before getting back to Art History studies. She has several years of experience in guiding, including districts, monuments, museums, and temporary exhibitions.

Located at the edge of theParc Monceau, in the8th arrondissement of Paris, the Museum Nissim de Camondo is one of the most elegant mansions designed after the Petit Trianon in Versailles. Built during la Belle Epoque for Moïse de Camondo, a famous Parisian banker, you will discover an amazing collection of art, ranging from precious furniture, paintings, porcelains and sculptures.

Behind the wood-paneled apartments which decorate the house, all the modern Equipment was provided, such as bathrooms, kitchen and offices.

The tragic destiny of de Camondo’s family, which is extinct, will be mentioned together with their refined taste for art.

Come and discover with our guide Catherine, this superb museum and the tragic destiny of the Camondo’s family.

About the Instructor:Catherine Estivalezes holds a PHD in British and American Studies from the Sorbonne and has been involved for years in a Foundation for promoting Contemporary Art, before getting back to Art History studies. She has several years of experience in guiding, including districts, monuments, museums, and temporary exhibitions.

There have always been Americans in Paris! Come learn about some of the original ones: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, John Paul Jones and a few others.

Come explore the earliest years of the friendship that developed between France and the United States at the end of the 18th century. Listen to the tales of how Lafayette, King Louis XVI, Admiral de Grasse, General Rochambeau and other Frenchmen helped thirteen colonies win their independence from the English crown. We will gaze at the inspiration for the dome on Jefferson's home of Monticello; discover a Bartholdi statue that is NOT in New York's harbor and stand in front of the place where America's "birth certificate" was signed.

During this tour from Place de Trocadero to the Tuileries Gardens, we will see the monuments, statues, historic markers, and the former homes of the number of these historic figures - all here in Paris if you know where to look.

A 15/20 minute break will be included in this walk.

About the Instructor:Anna Cheong. Highly experienced walk guide in Paris.

Only half an hour from Paris by RER, the Château de Maisons Laffite is located on the edge of Saint Germain forest in the Yvelines department. Designed by François Mansart in the 17th century, the château, once a royal residence used after hunting, offers a beautiful example of French Baroque Architecture. The symmetry, majesty and harmonious form of the castle make it one of the landmarks of French treasures. It is said to have inspired both Vaux le Vicomte and Versailles.

We will discover the grand appartments with the beautiful Grande Galerie, the King’s bedroom, the Mirror cabinet and the grand staircase.

About the Instructor:Catherine Estivalezes holds a PHD in British and American Studies from the Sorbonne and has been involved for years in a Foundation for promoting Contemporary Art, before getting back to Art History studies. She has several years of experience in guiding, including districts, monuments, museums, and temporary exhibitions.